Previews

Fight Night 2004

Built on a control scheme unlike any other, this boxing game offers the most realistic experience in pugilism ever seen in a videogame. It's as slick a Floyd Jr. and powerful as an RJ body shot.

Spiffy:

Novel control scheme allows a wide array of realistic punches and defensive movements never before seen in boxing; lovely character models.

Iffy:

The control scheme also seems a bit limiting; too early to tell how engaging career mode is; Arturo Gatti doesn't bleed nearly enough.

Boxing games have traditionally been button mashers that hardly recreated the artistry of the "sweet science." It's hard to duplicate the slickness of deftly slipping a jab and countering with a vicious hook when pounding the X button is the optimal path to victory. EA Sports attempts to address this problem with Fight Night 2004. The game utilizes a unique control scheme that translates many of the nuances and subtleties of boxing into entertaining gameplay.
Fight Night 2004 is built on EA Sports' Total Control system. The analog sticks play a vital part of the control scheme. You use the left analog stick to control your fighter's movements, while the right stick is used to control his punches. On offense (assuming an orthodox stance), a flick to the upper left delivers a jab, while a flick to the upper right sends out a straight right. A quarter circle motion executes a hook, while a two-thirds circle unleashes an uppercut. The L1 button modifies these punches to be delivered to the body. One thing's for sure: this is definitely not the button-mashing boxer you're used to playing.

Total Control Punching elevates boxing gameplay to new heights. Unlike games that use face buttons to deliver punches, this control scheme is a far more accurate representation of what each individual punch is actually like. It takes more effort and energy to throw a hook than to throw a jab, and this is reflected in Total Control Punching. You won't see heavyweight bouts where each pug is putting out more than 300 punches per round -- though the balance is still decidedly arcadey. The control scheme helps the game become a more realistic and strategic representation of boxing.

As a huge boxing fan and someone that has trained in the ring, I immediately appreciated the breadth of Total Control Punching. It was easy -- and in some cases preferred -- to mimic actual boxing strategies like hooking off the jab or countering off weaves as opposed to relentlessly smashing buttons. More than any other boxing game, the rounds I spent in Fight Night 2004 looked like actual fights I'd see on television. The one misgiving I had is that Total Control Punching seems a bit limiting as well. While throwing a jab should be faster than throwing a hook, manipulating the left analog stick made it hard for me to feel the snap of throwing combos like jab-straight right-left hook or body shot-uppercut. It's entirely possible that I need to spend more time with the game to get used to the timing. I'll let you know in a future update.

As much as I adored Total Control Punching, Total Control Defense was even more fun for me. Defense in boxing has been portrayed worse in boxing games than offense has -- especially in the context of punching off defensive movements. Using the R1 button to modify movements, the left analog stick allows you to bust out all kinds of bobs, leans, ducks, and weaves. I really like the subtle defensive movements Total Control Defense afforded me and especially loved how seamlessly I could deliver punches off of defensive moves.